Hidden Bodies – Caroline Kepnes

Hidden Bodies is the second instalment of Joe Goldberg’s story. We met Joe first in You and we watch as his relationship with Beck blossoms and then breaks to disastrous consequences . In Hidden Bodies we see Joe leave New York and his cage behind to greener pastures in Los Angeles to start again, meet someone new. In LA he finds Love, everything he has been hoping for. The question is, can he keep what his heart desires most? Will the bodies of his past stay hidden?

 

Sadly for me Hidden Bodies just didn’t hold the same allure as You. In particular I found the first half of Hidden Bodies repetitive and boring. In You, Joe’s inner monologue was an absolute highlight, a view into his twisted mind. In Hidden Bodies, it just feels annoying because we have heard this all before. The second half of this novel yes pick up and become more interesting. In doing so, however, it loses it’s believability. You was particularly creepy because every though it was out there, it was still very plausible and the stalking and the way Joe gained his information was realistic. Too realistic that it may make you reconsider how you use social media. Hidden Bodies, for me, became way too far fetched, not at all believable. In doing that it lost a certain amount of it’s appeal for me.

 

In saying all of this, I still read this book in a day but overallI am not a huge fan. I prefer to think of You as a standalone, although you will see if you read Hidden Bodies that the door is left open for another and lets be honest if there is I will still read it. I cannot recommend You enough but go into this one prepared that it isn’t quite the same. It is of no fault to the author in the sense that her writing is still spot on, I think this is just a story for me that only really works once, anything after than feels a little repetitive. f you loved You and still want to try Hidden Bodies, by all means do so. I can see how others will enjoy the continuation of Joe’s story. I give Hidden Bodies two and a half Hollywood films.